(AnB) In June, 18 companies were granted their request to place employees under reduced working hours for the month of July by the economic committee “Comité de Conjuncture”.

The number of companies seeking help has decreased over the last months. Whereas in 33 applications were filed in April, only 29 companies applied in May, a number which shrank further to 24 in June.

1,403 workers will be affected by the reduced working hours, out of the total 2,231 people employed by the 18 companies concerned. This means that there has also been a drop in the number of people touched by the scheme. In comparison, last month the state compensated the lost wages of around 1,800 employees.

Businesses facing serious financial difficulties, either because of the harsh economic climate or structural problems, can apply to the “chômage partiel” measure to reduce their costs by saving on their workers' wages. Companies need to reapply on a monthly basis.